Alan Collins - English lawyer in Jersey - latest update

Part One Interview with Alan Collins (above) 22 August 2013 in Jersey - about 11 minutes

Part Two (above) about 14 minutes.

Alan Collins is the English Solicitor - Advocate from PANNONE LLP who has been engaged to represent 59 of the local litigants in the Compensation scheme of the States of Jersey (which he helped to set up) arising from the Hauth de la Garenne Childrens Home failures over many decades.

His involvement in the legal representation of child abuse victims is extensive.

It is especially interesting and significant that he is representing so many of the Jersey victims in this Island which claims its own unique jurisdiction and he plans to represent the 59 litigants before the States Inquiry that has been set up to examine the whole history of this tragic debacle.

He is to be paid for the Compensation scheme work out of Jersey public funds at an agreed rate but has so far receieved nothing. He expects to be paid for his Inquiry work in a similar way.
His role as an English lawyer acting in Jersey and being paid out of public funds amounts to "legal aid" whereas the "official" legal aid system that operates in Jersey is an antiquated mess and not fit for purpose. It is currently being examined.

Messrs Mourant Ozanne have been appointed to represent the States of Jersey in the Compensation scheme and Alan here explains how the system works.

Due to the illness of the appointed Chair for the Offiial Inquiry there will be yet more delay but Aland explains that he will be representing the abuse victims individually and as a group when it finally gets going under a newly appointed Chair.

Previous interviews with Alan can be found on this blog at 25 August and 15 December 2012 and we hope to continue to monitor progress with Alan but what a pity that Jersey lawyers and States' officials are not so willing to answer questions or to be interviewed.

As always, sensible comments are welcome and we extend an invite to any Lawyers or officials to record a response to Alan's interviews.

Unfortunately the IT gremlins are still making it difficult to set up these postings and several typos defy correction. This is the second attempt to post the whole things and it all takes time....

Jersey law, the universe and much more with Adv. Barbara Corbett

Jersey Advocate and English Solicitor Barbara Corbett is interviewed here about many aspects of Jersey Law and the legal system.
We have been trying to find a Jersey lawyer to appear here for some time and Barbara kindly volunteered . The result is 26 minutes long and there was still much to discuss.
Hopefully more will follow on specific topics in due course.

It transpires that there are now over 300  members of the Society of Jersey lawyers so they must have been breeding since I last looked on their web-site (which is being updated). In fact only about half of this number is in practice in Jersey so this is a very small world population. Almost as rare as Plemont Puffins...

AS always, if anybody has any comments to offer these are welcome in the appropriate place or we will arrange to video record a substantive response.

Cyril, Che, Spartacus...standing up to be counted in JERSEY

Cyril Vibert interview 18 October 2012.

"A long habit of not thinking something wrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right..."

We have all been annoyed at being fined for some trivial matter such as not displaying a parking disc or not filling in some official form or other before the deadline.

It's not that we have intended to break any law but we are sometimes treated as "criminals" just for a simple lapse of memory. Nobody is a victim. There is no loss or injury but somehow the "system" demands that we should be punished and/or inconvenienced and we have all wondered why? What really is the purpose of imposing a "criminal" sanction on otherwise innocent people trying to cope with our ever more complex style of life?

For Cyril a parking ticket  or "notice" in St Helier was the last straw and he began wondering why should he have to respond at all - who has dreamed up this complex charade of pseudo contracts, obligations, fines and other impositions?

Here he explains his thinking and why he is challenging the obscure legal mumbo jumbo that surrounds so much that passes for "justice" in and out of the court system.

Most of us just pay the fine, grumble a bit, but don't make a fuss.

Fortunately, people like Cyril come along from time to time to challenge the validity of entrenched practices and procedures. During his most recent Magistrates' Court hearing (although as with all Jersey courts the "hearing" system is not very good for the public to follow matters easily) it was obvious that his words are being noted. The Magistrate (as discussed in this video interview) was outspoken in her criticisms of the behaviour of the States' Police officers who knocked on his door demanding information. So critical indeed that their charges were quashed - but who will have learned from this experience? There was no "accredited media" presence during the hearing so presumably the lessons will not be learned by the general public - but how about the 240 or so officers of the States Police or the 250 Jersey lawyers who will be advising their future clients....?

As Cyril says there is much more to this than mere "parking fines" - the challenge he makes is to the very roots and presumptions that prop-up  judicial credibility here and elsewhere...